Hue

Aug. 7 - 9


One of the great things about "backpacking" through a country is that you sometimes end up running into the same fellow travelers. I've already run into Sara and Diego, a really nice couple from Barcelona, about 5 times now. We stayed at the same hotel in Hanoi and then kept running into each other on our way to Ha Long Bay and even exchanged kayaks in the bay. I'll probably run into them again at some point along the way, most likely Hoi An. There's also Ivona and Alicja from Poland, where I met on the same Ha Long Bay junk boat. We ended up taking the same 16 hour night train to Hue and then spent the day hanging out and touring the ancient city. We had a great time visiting the Citidel and just walking (and eating) through the city. I don't know if I'll run into them again. They're taking a 2 month trip through SE Asia (jealous!) and it's been great meeting great fellow travelers like them. So I now have friends in Poland when I go there one day.



I gotta say it was as hot as Hades. Hanoi and Hue has been scorching and I am quite dark after only a week and that's without trips to the beach! People keep mistaking me for Thai and Filipino.



I had a motorbike tour (fun & cheap!!) of Hue and got to go up in the mountains and see some beautiful sites. We got to Tu Hieu Pagoda just in time to watch the Buddist monks pray/chant over their afternoon (and only) meal. That was really cool to see. We also visited Thien Anh Catholic Church, which was built underground during the French and American (Vietnam) Wars. They had to build it into the mountain to avoid all the bombing that went on during the wars. That still stands, but they have built another church right above it. I had a personal tour of the grounds from one of the monks and he was really great. He spoke French fluently and very little English.

We also stopped by the Thanh Toan Bridge(Japanese Covered Bridge), which was built in 1776 by a lady of the village who had the good fortune to marry a wealthy Mandarin. Taking pity on her former neighbors, Trân Thị Đạo built the bridge with her own money so they would not have to wade or ferry themselves across the small creek. However, she also wanted a son, and building the bridge was part of her prayers. Another local legend has it that she indeed had a son who fell deathly ill at the age of sixteen. The illness was traced to the ghost of a young girl who had died before she married and had children, and being unfilled, her spirit fell in love with the young boy, inhabited his body and made him ill. To this day, some local people make offerings to the girl at the small shrine in the middle of the bridge. I stopped by a small stand and bought a bottle of water and sat and talked to the owner. She was a sweet lady and kept offering me tea. As I left the little village, she ran after our motorbike and screamed out, "Ngoc Ha, Ngoc Ha, bye bye!!" She had gotten up and left during our conversation and I didn't get to say good-bye to her, so it was nice that I got to wave good-bye before we took off.



One of the interesting restaurants I've eaten at is Lac Thien. It is run by a deaf/mute family and has been in business since the 60's. They were super friendly and the owner is known for his homemade bottle opener comprised of a wooden stick with screws at the end and he pops the glass bottles open by slapping one end of the stick. I had the Hue specialty called Banh Khoai, which is a sort of omelet with shrimp, pork, and bean sprouts. It was pretty good. My favorite dish here in Hue has been Bun Bo Hue. It is a beef vermicelli soup that is utter goodness. I've never had it before and it was yummy in the tummy.

The people here in Hue have been so freaking friendly! There has been so much genuine kindness that just blows me away.

Next up, I fly to Saigon to stay with my mom's uncle...